It was a long day, you are finally in your bed and ready for some serious sleeping...does your Chihuahua keep you awake all night? There are some Chihuahuas who will have a backward time clock than their human family. When you want to sleep, your Chihuahua is wide awake and he is not happy that you are asleep. A Chihuahua will take this as their owner "ignoring" them. This in turn, will lead a Chi to bark; sometimes non-stop until they have your attention.
When your Chihuahua first begins to bark at night, you may think that something is wrong. After all, when a dog barks, they are communicating with you. Owners may first think that there is an intruder in the home or trying to get inside, they may think their dog desperately needs to go outside to eliminate or they may believe their dog is alerting them to some type of danger.
So how do you know if your Chihuahua is barking at night for no reason that seems logical to you or if they are trying to tell you something? Quite easy: If they awake you 3 nights a week or more, they are doing so simply to get your attention. If they are going to be awake at night, they want their human companion to be awake as well.
How do you stop this?
There are many aspects to a Chihuahua barking at night. You should first make sure that your dog has everything they could need at night, so if they awaken, they may be able to take care of themselves. You can set up some dog toys near their bed or sleeping area. It is suggested to use these toys only at night and interchange them once in a while. This way, your Chihuahua will not get used to the same toys and become bored with them.
It is not recommend to free feed your Chihuahua; in other words: meals should be measured and served at certain times of the day. An adult Chihuahua will only need to eat once per day. However, if it seems that your dog only wants to wake you up for a treat, you may wish to simply leave out 1 or 2 small healthy dog treats for these midnight snack attacks. Be sure to leave them in the same spot each night. When your Chihuahua first wakes you up you can lead them to the snack until they become used to being able to find it themselves.
My Chihuahua Keeps Waking Me Up to Go to the Bathroom!
If your dog wakes you up at night so that you can take them outside; you should first consider that this is a better alternative than waking up to a mess in the morning! However, there are some things that you can do.
Do not allow you Chihuahua to drink a lot of water right before they go to sleep, a little Chi bladder can only hold so much liquid
Exercise your Chihuahua 1 to 2 hours before you wish to go to sleep. This should tire the little guy out and help him sleep through the night.
Do make sure that you are offering very comfortable sleeping conditions. What may look or feel comfortable to you may not be so for your Chihuahua. If your dog seems to hate their doggie bed, it is better to try to provide a different sleeping area than force your dog to sleep in a spot in which they will continually wake up. Dogs are funny, amusing creatures. Your Chihuahua may very well want to sleep under the kitchen table and simply wake up to attempt to tell you that they wish to move there. If you can allow your Chihuahua to sleep anywhere they wish, as long as this does not interfere with your family's routine, allow it! This is a better alternative to waking up all night long and it does not harm anyone!
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What if My Dog Barks at Night for No Reason?
First, make sure that there really is no reason. Check to be sure:
Your dog does not need to go to the bathroom. If your Chihuahua keeps needing to eliminate or urinate at night, change their feeding times in an attempt to help them sleep through the night. When doing this, you most likely must be prepared to take them outside first thing in the morning.
Is there a noise that is alarming your Chihuahua? It is an absolute fact that dogs have incredible hearing. When your Chihuahua wakes you up at night, listen carefully. Is there a constant but soft noise? Perhaps a neighbor's TV, maybe a car driving by? Many times a car will alarm a Chihuahua; it may be a neighbor who comes home at just about the same time each night and waking up your dog. The way to deal with this is to let your dog know that you hear the noise also. Say in a strong tone, "Yes, I hear the noise, yes it is a car." Your dog, of course, will not know what you are saying, but dogs understand a lot of what you say by the tone of your voice. Once you let your Chihuahua know that you also sense the noise, you must then show them that there is no reason to be concerned. Pat your dog and in a gentle and relaxed voice, say something to the effect of, "It's okay, there's no reason to bark, everything is alright" You can also repeat this but lower your tone each time, until you are whispering calmly; thus showing your dog that if you think everything is okay than it truly is.
The Only Real Reason to Wake Up At Night
The only reason that is valid for your Chihuahua to wake up at night is if he or she is having a medical issue. Therefore, you must be sure that you take your dog for regular visits. An older Chihuahua may have arthritis and at night, their joints may begin to hurt. Or perhaps they have a slipped disk and laying still for a certain amount of time increased the pain that they are feeling. The majority of medical problems that a dog can have will not be able to be seen from the outside. Once you know that your Chihuahua is medically fine, you can go ahead with the above advise with peace of mind. Once your Chihuahua stops waking you up at night, both dog and owner will be happier!
